Gunman in Fla. standoff lived in building

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HIALEAH, Fla. -- Police say the gunman who killed six people and took two others hostage before a SWAT team fatally shot him was a 43-year-old resident of the South Florida apartment complex.

Police spokesman Carl Zogby has identified the man as Pedro Vargas.

Zogby says the incident began when Vargas set his apartment on fire Friday evening. The building managers noticed smoke and ran to his apartment, and Zogby said he shot and killed the couple when they arrived.

Zogby says Vargas ran back into his burning apartment and fired 10 to 20 shots into the street from a balcony, killing a third victim.

Police say Vargas eventually barricaded himself in an apartment where he took the hostages.

Zogby says the whole incident lasted eight hours, with the hostages held at gunpoint for about three.